As soon as Qiao Xin came back, she happened to run into Wang Caiwei and several wives of officials who had a good relationship with Zhang who were visiting.
Zhang was pleasantly surprised and came over to greet her: "Mother, why are you back?"
Then he asked, "Did something happen, or did you come back specially to take a look?"
Qiao Xin smiled and said, "I'm doing some work and came to see you guys. I have to go back after a night's rest. The third brother has also come back. He asked someone to clean up his place. He will leave tomorrow."
Qiao Xin took another look at everyone present, some familiar and some unfamiliar. Knowing that this was Zhang's family entertaining guests, she did not plan to stay any longer. She said hello to Wang Caiwei and planned to go to the backyard to rest.
Young people have their own social life, and she couldn't restrict Zhang forever. She even gave him instructions on how to make friends.
"Have fun by yourselves, don't worry about me. Ask the servants to prepare more food for everyone!"
In front of outsiders, Qiao Xin always gives her daughter-in-law enough face.
Now that her mother-in-law is back, how could Zhang still have the heart to drink tea and chat with others?
Besides, these people didn’t have any big things to do. They either came to inquire about Qingyang Academy’s recruitment or to find out when her rouge shop would have new stock.
None of these things can be separated from Qiao Xin!
No matter how much Zhang wants to show off her presence, she knows what is important and what is not. It's useless even if she agrees to these things. She has to get Qiao Xin's approval before she can do it!
Even the young ladies who were taking classes in the backyard asked for leave from their teachers and came to see grandma after hearing the news.
Qiao Xin knew that if she didn't give someone a definite answer about the things happening right now, Zhang's tea party would probably go on endlessly!
It seems that there will be no peace and quiet today.
"Well, it's almost time for lunch. Ladies, why don't you stay and taste our chef's cooking? And chat with me, an old lady, for a while."
Hearing the voice, everyone knew Qiao Xin's intention. They originally thought they had returned empty-handed, but they didn't expect Qiao Xin to take the initiative to keep them.
Then isn’t there hope for what they are asking for?
Everyone quickly responded: "Thank you for your kindness, old lady. It would be disrespectful for the younger generation to refuse it!"
The Qiao Mansion is very big, but the owner is rarely at home. Most of the time, it is Zhang who lives there with her children.
Although the side hall for receiving guests was rarely used, someone was arranged to clean it regularly on weekdays. Now it was just a matter of a word, and the servants arranged it in an orderly manner.
When Qiao Xin appeared again, everyone was eating the cheese and fruit jelly prepared by the kitchen. This thing is not sold outside, and no one has ever seen it made.
Obviously, this is another good thing that the Qiao family has come up with themselves.
The ice jelly in front of you is really as its name suggests. It looks transparent, like a piece of crystal clear ice. It is also dotted with various colorful fruits, dried fruits or honey syrup, which looks very tempting.
A hint of coolness and sweetness comes from the nose, which makes people's appetite. Use a spoon to scoop up a spoonful, it melts in the mouth, with a delicate and smooth taste, giving people a cool and refreshing feeling.
Wang Caiwei couldn't control herself and swallowed the bowl of ice jelly in a few mouthfuls. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already eaten all the food in the bowl. Her face turned red and she felt so ashamed!
Then she looked at the people around her, well, they were all much better than her!
It was the first time for everyone to eat fresh food, and they couldn't help but eat a few more mouthfuls, which was actually very rude! They were inevitably afraid that the host would laugh at them for being naive and petty.
Qiao Xin didn't seem to notice everyone's embarrassment and said with a smile, "It's rare that everyone likes it so much.
Originally, I had just figured out this little gadget and didn’t know whether others would like it or not, so I just let my family try it. Now it seems to be done.
Erlang's snack shop can now have another fresh food."
Wang Caiwei said with a smile: "Old Madam, why should you belittle yourself? It's so hot and refreshing to be able to eat something like this. I wish I could have this every day."
"Don't worry, you'll be there. The shop is only one street away from your Wang family. It will take only a cup of tea to get there.
On weekdays when we are not in the capital, if you want to eat, just send someone around to go there."
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, everyone finally got to the point.
The official's wife who appeared here today came to congratulate her husband for one thing, but more importantly, she had heard the news from her husband and wanted to know about the enrollment of Qingyang Academy.
At present, the wives of officials who can take the initiative to make friends with Zhang actually have husbands whose families do not hold high positions in the court.
Most of them are rising stars and newly rich families.
Unable to fit into the circle of aristocratic families, these people naturally formed a social circle.
Although Zhang had not participated in many camellia parties held by other ladies, the identity and status of her husband Qiao Yunqing were very high!
Qiao Yunqing has obviously become the representative of this group of students.
No matter how unwilling one is in their heart, no one dares to ignore his existence.
When their husbands were helpless and still trying hard to build good relationships with their superiors, Qiao Yunqing had already become a close minister to the emperor, and the Qiao family had surpassed them in all aspects.
The old ones, the old ones can’t compare; the young ones, the young ones, are not as sensible as others.
They had no choice but to accept it. They originally thought that the academy run by the Qiao family was just a small matter and did not take it seriously.
Now I heard that the great scholar Liang Shengming has been confirmed to teach there, which is no small matter.
He is a great scholar with many students all over the world. With him around, do we still need to worry about Qingyang Academy not having good teachers?
Even if they beg and plead, they may not be able to get into the family schools of the aristocratic families in the capital.
Even if they go, there is no guarantee that the children will not be bullied.
Once you are bullied, what else can you do except to be patient?
But wouldn't this be a disgrace to the child? How could their parents bear to let their child suffer this? Instead of doing this, it would be better to try their luck at Qingyang Academy.
They didn't just rush in like headless flies. They must have found out everything they needed to know beforehand. This time they were asking for information that couldn't be obtained from outside.
“This matter has been almost prepared. When the time comes, we will post notices in front of the Fude Restaurant and Yumancang Food Store.
In the capital, we only accept about a hundred people."
"A hundred people is that a lot?"
“These one hundred people are not just the children of officials.
Children with different talents and specialties are not judged by their family background.
Ladies, please think carefully before making a decision. Qingyang Academy will not be a special place for a certain type of people.
Only students who passed the assessment would be admitted. Moreover, the children were required to be self-disciplined and learn to take care of themselves during their time at school. They were not allowed to bring servants or maids.
The students of the academy will be good at both literature and martial arts in the future. If they can't even bear this little hardship, they'd better not join in the fun!"
Everyone didn't expect there was such a rule. Was it too harsh for a child? Not everyone was willing to let their children suffer this hardship.
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